Women with sickle cell disease have high rates of unintended pregnancy and low use of LARC

Key clinical point: Women with sickle cell disease report high rates of unplanned pregnancy and limited knowledge and use of long-acting reversible contraception despite the high-risk nature of pregnancy for sickle cell disease patients.

Major finding:  In a survey of 78 women with sickle cell disease, 73% had an average of 2.5 pregnancies, and 58% reported unplanned pregnancies. The most frequently reported contraception in the study population was condoms (87%), followed by birth control pills (46%), medroxyprogesterone (44%), and withdrawal (44%), while 22% reported use of long-acting reversible contraception.

Study details: The data come from a survey of 78 women aged 28-65 years with sickle cell disease seen at a single adult and pediatric sickle cell treatment center.

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Disclosures: The study received no outside funding. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.

Source: Pecker LH et al. J Natl Med Assoc. 2021 Jun 9. doi: 10.1016/j.jnma.2021.05.005.